Kamut

History

The grain is named after Khorasan—a historical region of the eastern Iranian plateau which includes Afghanistan, the modern provinces of North, South, and Razavi Khorasan (unified as Khorasan Province until 2004) in the Islamic Republic of Iran, parts of Turkmenistanand Central Asia. Ancient grains like Khorasan wheat were likely cultivated in or traded through this region, which was a significant part of the Silk Road. In the modern awareness and market for Khorasan wheat involves its rediscovery and import to the United States in the mid-20th century, where it was cultivated by Montana wheat and cattle farmer T. Mack Quinn and his son Bob, then an agricultural scientist at the University of California, Davis. The younger Quinn started a company, Kamut International, and trademarked "Kamut" as a particular branding of Khorasan wheat with organic cultivation requirements.